Mental health problems?

[Sammiek]

Thanks for letting me join. GP says I have general anxiety disorder as my symptoms are unexplained and my thyroid bloods are fine. Taking 100mcg levo diagnosed 2011. Thanks

TSH 4.3 (0.2 - 4.2)

Free T4 15.1 (12 - 22)

Free T3 3.2 (3.1 - 6.8)

[SlowDragon Administrator]

Your thyroid tests show you are very under medicated. The aim of Levothyroxine replacement hormone is to bring a TSH down to lower part of the range, usually around one.

FT4 to be near top of range, around 18 and FT3 at least mid-way in range.

All thyroid tests should be done as early as possible in morning and fasting and don't take Levo in the 24 hours prior to test, delay and take straight after. This gives highest TSH.

Anxiety is a common symptom of being hypothyroid.

Do you also have raised thyroid antibodies? Do you know if these were ever tested? If high this is autoimmune thyroid disease also called Hashimoto's. About 90% of hypothyroidism in UK is due to Hashimoto's.

Hashimoto's very often affects the gut, leading to low stomach acid, low vitamin levels and leaky gut.

Low vitamins that affect thyroid are vitamin D, folate, ferritin and B12. If they are too low they stop Thyroid hormones working. Have these been tested, if not ask that they are.

Always get actual results and ranges on all blood tests

Is there a different GP you can see. Your existing GP should know that this result has TSH too high

If you can't get full thyroid and vitamin testing from GP

thyroiduk.org.uk/tuk/testin...

Medichecks Thyroid plus ultra vitamin or Blue Horizon Thyroid plus eleven are the most popular choice. DIY finger prick test or option to pay extra for private blood draw. Both companies often have money off offers. DIY finger prick test or option to pay extra for private blood draw

[Sammiek in reply to SlowDragon]

Thyroid peroxidase antibodies 301.5 (<34)

Thyroglobulin antibodies 377.3 (<114)

[Kitten1978]

Sammiek ,

There is no polite way of saying it: your GP is an idiot. Please find a GP who actually knows how to treat hypothyridism.

Your TH is way too high, FT4 and FT3 are to low and you are still hypothyroid. It's hardly surprising that you are feeling anxious. Poorly managed thyroid disorders cause mental health problems: thyromind.info/

According to Dr Toft, former chair of BTA "the appropriate dose of levothyroxine is that which restores euthyroidism and serum TSH to the lower part of the reference range – 0.2-0.5mU/l.".

The above quote comes from an interview published in Pulse magazine. Email [e-mail] if you want a copy of the interview.

What are your serum iron, ferritin, B12 and D3 levels?

[Sammiek in reply to Kitten1978]

Ferritin 22 (30 - 400)

Folate 4.3 (4.6 - 18.7)

Vitamin B12 210 (190 - 900)

Vitamin D 25.9 (25 - 50 deficiency) taking 800iu only

[SlowDragon Administrator in reply to Sammiek]

These just underline how Incompetent your GP is

SeasideSusie detailed vitamin supplements replies eg

healthunlocked.com/thyroidu...

[Kitten1978 in reply to Sammiek]

Your ferritin is VERY low suggesting that iron is low. There is info on iron testing and supplementation:

rt3-adrenals.org/Iron_test_...

rt3-adrenals.org/iron.html

rt3-adrenals.org/supplement...

Always take vit C with iron. At least 4hrs away from your thyroid meds.

Witamin D3 is VERY low:

rt3-adrenals.org/Vitamin_D....

rt3-adrenals.org/supplement...

I would take 10,000 IU of D3 (D3, not D2) with K2 for three months and then retest.

Witamin B12 is VERY low. I would take this for 2 months: amazon.co.uk/Jarrow-Formula...

Floate is VERY low. Once you finish B12 box I would change to this: amazon.co.uk/Jarrows-B-Righ...

You need to increase B12 level before you introduce folate.

You still need to increase your levothyroxine.

[Kitten1978 in reply to Kitten1978]

You can buy all of the above supplements on amazon or iherb - you don't have to wait until your incompetent gp decides to prescribe...

[humanbean]

Your thyroid is very under-medicated, and under-treated hypothyroidism can cause all sorts of symptoms, including anxiety and depression.

One common problem with hypothyroidism is low stomach acid, which reduces absorption of nutrients from the diet. And low nutrients cause lots of symptoms as well, many of them similar to those of hypothyroidism.

If you got your thyroid levels optimised and got your basic nutrients tested and treated you would probably find that your "unexplained" symptoms aren't unexplained at all, and they have improved or gone away.

If your GP refuses to increase your dose of Levo then you should try seeing a different doctor within the practice, and/or make a complaint about the fact that your doctor has ignored your over the range TSH and bottom of the range Free T3.

[Angel_of_the_North]

Well, your Free T3 is rock bottom, your free T4 is low in range and your TSH is very high for someone on medication, showing OBJECTIVELY that you are undermedicated and still hypo. General anxiety disorder has no OBJECTIVE blood tests or any other test to prove it even exists and is purely dependent on the SUBJECTIVE opinion of your GP. Ask him to prove by scientifc, evidence-based tests that you have general anxiery disorder. You need to see a differnt GP and get a increase in levo.